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Movie Trailer: “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”

“Because of her, they all think they’re invincible.”

The trailer for the second movie in The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire, was released yesterday. And let me just say that it looks way more awesome and intriguing than the first movie.

My sister is a huge fan of the books, so she’s the one who got me into the franchise. Props to her. But I wasn’t a big fan of the first movie, along with the fact that the Rue casting controversy left a bad taste in my mouth (racism will do that to you). However, the trailer for Catching Fire showcases everything you could have possibly wanted from these movies, and more.

Most trailers these days give away 90% of the plot (see: the new Carrie), but this one gives away the right amount. I’m sure that’ll change with the second, third, fourth, etc. trailer, but let’s pretend I’m right.

Anyway, you get a glimpse of Katniss’ life post-winning The Hunger Games tournament. She (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta are on a victory tour throughout the various Districts, including Rue and Thresh’s District, who are in mourning. Katniss has become a symbol of hope for these impoverished, oppressed people, who now realize that they can rebel against the tyrannical rule of President Snow and the current government, instead of going along with these sadistic fight-t0-the-death games.

My favorite moment in the trailer is when Gale, played by Liam Hemsworth, is getting whipped (get your mind out of the gutter), and Katniss runs over to put a stop to it. One of the guards pulls a gun on her and, instead of running away, she stands there and says ominously, “Go ahead.”

That girl has got balls. I like it.

Catching Fire has a new director, Francis Lawrence, who’s also tapped to direct the rest of the series – and you can tell right away from the trailer. I wasn’t a fan of the shaky camera in the first movie (headaches abound, especially during the tournament scenes), which was directed by Gary Ross. Catching Fire looks like it’s going to be going in a different direction, quite literally with the different filming technique Lawrence seems to be using.

With the omission of Sam Claflin from the trailer, you can almost forget the fact that he was cast as Finnick Odair. I’m not a huge fan of that particular casting, among a few others. I saw the character poster, where it looks like he stepped into the Pirates of the Caribbean (funny, because the actor was actually in the last Pirates movie). Sorry, guys, but I’m not impressed. Gale is going to appear more in this movie, compared to the first. I’m not excited for that, either, but I’m sure the scenes will be tremendous.